Design History

The essential shape, form and structure of some objects in our daily lives may have been fixed many generations ago, but design and designers have now been moved center stage by the varied demands of a society that in less than half a century has gone from the restless search for the new throw-away consumerism to a postmodernist recycling of ideas—and now, Green recycling of materials.

The National Design Museum in New York is one of the largest repositories of design in the world, with a collection of nearly a quarter of a million objects such as typewriters, tea pots, architectural renderings, lace, wallpaper sample books and posters. This celebration of the museum's 100th anniversary, draws on its experience of a century of collecting, documenting and studying design. It also displays thousands of the museum's most prized exhibits.

In addition to the dinnerware collectibles, this book also features the furniture, housewares, lamps, wood, metal works, fabrics, and numerous other items sought by collectors and dealers. Hundreds of photos, including vintage catalogs and advertisements, and revised values for all items to reflect today's ever-changing market. AUTHORBIO: Ann Kerr was an avid Russel Wright collector and researchers of his works for many years. She was able to finish writing her third edition of the Collector's Encyclopedia of Russel Wright before she passed away in 2001.

Eliot Noyes (1910-77) was a remarkable figure in twentieth-century design. An architect who began his career working in the office of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, he went on to become the first Director of the Industrial Design department at MoMA in the 1940s. From the late 1950s until his death in 1977, he was consulting director of design for IBM, Mobil Oil, Westinghouse and Cummins Engine Company, and was responsible for bringing about a change in the way that these corporations, and others that followed, were to think about design and its impact on business.

House cleaning has been an innate human activity for centuries, but only since the early 19th century have mechanical devices replaced the physical hard labor (performed mostly by women). Mechanical carpet sweepers were replaced by manual suction cleaners, which in turn were replaced by electric vacuum cleaners in the early 20th century. Innovative inventors, who sequentially improved vacuum cleaners as electricity became commonly available, made these advances possible.

Charles and Ray Eames, perhaps the most famous design partnership of twentieth-century America, did pioneering work in furniture, film, architecture, and exhibition design. Out of respect for Charles's wishes, no book on them was published during their lifetime. Now Pat Kirkham interprets their work in depth, probing the lives behind the designs and the nature of the collaboration. In researching this major work, Kirkham had full access to the Eames archive and cooperation from the Eameses' clients and associates.

past tense, future sense celebrates 80 years of design at philips. This objective, authoritative and richly-illustrated book gives a fascinating insight into the creation of some of the most iconic products of the past decades. Engaging topics like the rise of design, the role of visionary projects and what actually constitutes good design are discussed at length and vividly brought to life by numerous case studies.

World’s fairs were the most important vehicles for debuting advancements in modern living. These renowned international expositions were showcases for design on a national and global level, and they democratized design unlike any previous forum.

Industrial Strength Design: How Brooks Stevens Shaped Your World is a long overdue introduction to the work of visionary industrial designer Brooks Stevens (1911-1995). Believing that an industrial designer "should be a businessman, an engineer, and a stylist, in that order," Stevens created thousands of ingenious and beautiful designs for industrial and household products—including a clothes dryer with a window in the front, a wide-mouthed peanut butter jar, and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

An elegance is found in sleek design, a style few can truly master. "The Shape of Life" is a look at the artistic career of Eva Zeisel, a sculptor and craftswoman who for nearly a century applies her own thoughtful and sleek designs that prove timeless, melding art well with functionality in the avenues when needed. With plenty of full color photos of her work as well as a quite the history, "The Shape of Life" is a fine and solidly recommended collection that shouldn't be missed.